Thomas -

Thank you for your continued work to alert your readers of the ongoing anti-Christian violence in India. Many people are unaware of this and you are helping tremendously in spreading the word.

Unfortunately, the violence has not subsided and has spread to neighboring villages. Another 100 houses were burned in Kandhamal and one person was killed on Saturday. People are terrified to return to their homes and relief camps have been set up for the people who have no place else to go.

Peace,

Tricia Steadman Jump
Media Relations Manager
The Jesuit Conference
www.jesuit.org
Tricia Steadman Jump | Homepage | 09.30.08 - 11:22 am | #

Thomas: many thanks for continuing to highlight the plight of the Christians of my native land. Just yesterday I got an email from a priest friend from Orissa: his family's home was burnt down over the weekend, and they now live in a refugee camp.

The lack of any sense of concern from the State (which is in abject violation of its basic duty, to protect the lives and property of citizens), or the intelligentsia, or the mainstream media, or anything else in the much touted "shining" India of economic growth, is a rather damning sign of a huge abyss in Indian culture: the utter lack of respect for human dignity, human rights and human life.

[A minor note: I find the title "India v. the Chrisitans" to be a bit unfortunate. Indian Christians will be the first to tell you that they are as Indian as they are Chrisitan, especially given the right-wing Hindu philosophy that wants to brand anyone who is not Hindu un-Indian, or anti-Indian, forever trying to prove their worthiness to belong to modern, democratic, officially secular India.]
Gashwin | 09.30.08 - 1:08 pm | #

My prayers go out to all persecuted Catholics in particular those in India and Vietnam.
Vee8 | Homepage | 09.30.08 - 11:38 pm | #